When I was first hired on at World’s of Fun all three members of my family hired were instructed to complete the Food Handler’s training and certification for Clay County. The stores at the park and divided into areas, and one area has goods that fall under food handler regulations. In the end, the other two members of the family ended up working in that area, while I didn’t but we still all went and paid the $25 to take the course and be certified.
But I never had to use the card, until Saturday.
The Merchant staff was overfull on Saturday: everyone scheduled had shown up, no absences, calls in sick, and so five of us were lent to the foods division, which had had the opposite problem. This often happens on the staffing between departments, with the One Team environment, and my having a food handler’s card ensured that I got to be one of the people that helped out with foods.
I had the card, but I had never worked food service or fast food any other time previously in my life. So when I was sent to the Vittle Griddle, it was my first experience. I had all the training, but hadn’t used it in months, ever, so I was concerned about remembering the right things at the right time. Glove rules especially.
So it was rather a relief to have a skeleton team of food team associates there to train us. Of course, none of them had been trained on how to train people, so I served in the role of chief observer and question asker, for those who were trying to get answers on how to do things. Obvious answers for them left major holes of assumptions that needed to be filled for us to prevent mistakes.
I also played the role of observe everything to understand and be able to do it all.
When things fell out, it ended up with Betsy, who had also been sent to foods, on the grill (she has years recent McDonalds experience opening for breakfast, but not grill experience), one of the others assigned to drop fries and tenders, and another to prepare plates and serve to guests.
I ended up in the middle, with the unremarkable job of buttering and browning the buns.
which meant that I ended up in the middle of it all: transferring messages from the grill to the assembly line, invading the cooler and freezer for needed items, loading buckets of ice into the soda fountains, and the one with enough “spare time” to wipe down the tables and empty trash cans in the seating areas outside.
I got to see how essential Betsy was on grill. She may not have had grill experience at McDonalds, but she sure had the experience of staying calm through a rush and keeping everything moving. Her calm hand and cool head at the grill was the cornerstone of our successful day.
And I got to be part of a different team, and learn new things, and have a greater appreciation for what it takes to be on the foods team.
While they got to appreciate the members of another team helping them out, and proving the “one team” slogan is more than just a slogan, but a lived out fact, day after day, at Worlds of Fun.
At The Rainbow 